2014 Energica Electric Motorcycle Preview

Byron's sure to be hunched over a laptop after the checkers are flown, caught in his own little version of heaven. Whether on dirt, street or a combination of both, MotoUSA's newest addition knows the only thing better than actually riding is telling the story of how things went down.

The Energica electric motorcycle will be available to customers in the USA and Northern Europe by 2014 but CRP Group is already taking reservations for the bike.

Coming ahead of the EICMA show November 15-18, 2012 in Milan, Italy, CRP Technologies offered a live web-streaming introduction to the Energica electric superbike set to hit markets in the United States and Europe in 2014.

In the preview from Casa Enzo Ferarri Museum in Modena, chief engineer Giampier Testoni offered some insight into the first production electric motorcycle made in Italy. According to Testoni, the Energica will have a range close to 80 km (around 50 miles) when ridden in sport conditions, and according to Energica spec sheets is estimated to reach closer to 150 km (around 93 miles) when ridden with less of a heavy hand. That may be difficult since it is claimed to be capable of a top speed over 130 mph. Testoni added that acceleration tests still need to be conducted to get a fair estimate of the measured quickness of the electric superbike.

For a spec-sheet comparison between the Brammo Empulse: According to Brammo’s claims the Empulse has the ability to reach just over 100 mph top speed and has a peak range of 121 miles. The Energica will definitely have to improve on battery life if they hope to be competitive in the States, especially considering the fact that the top-end Brammo currently retails at $18,995. The Energica is listed at over $22,000 at the moment, making this a luxury item that many will likely appreciate from afar, especially in light of the still slow economic recovery. There’s no information yet on the life cycle of the Energica battery in the press provided, but the mark set by Brammo is an alleged 1500 cycles to 80% capacity. The time necessary to charge the Energica will also be a crucial factor in whether this newcomer to the burgeoning electric motorcycle segment will be a lasting contender.

In response to a question about the use of a tube-frame chassis, Testoni explained that it made for a lighter bike overall as well as a faster development turnaround than an aluminum frame. There’s still plenty of road and dyno testing to be done before we can put these claims to task, but this is shaping up to be an important segment in the electric motorcycle market and one that we will be paying keen attention to.

Other items worth noting on the Energica spec sheet are the radial-mount Brembo calipers up front as well as the Sachs fully adjustable rear shock and Marzocchi fully adjustable front fork. The company also plans to offer a number of mechanical and cosmetic upgrades to the bike and verified that the white color scheme shown would not be the only one available to consumers.

CRP is already accepting advance reservations for the Energica with a deposit of just over $600.